US498522A - Potato-digger - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

' A. OLMSTED.

v POTATO BIGGER.

Patented Mayl 30, 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED OLMSTED, OF BYRON, NEW YORK.

PoTATo-DiGeER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,522, dated May 30, 1893.

Application led February 6, 1892. Serial No. 420,581. (No model.)

To a/ZZ'wwm it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ALFRED OLMs'rED, a citizen of the United States, andra resident of Byron, in the county of Genesee and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato-Diggers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and

to the reference numerals marked thereon.

My present invention has for its object to provide an improved machine for digging potatoes, whereby they will be eifectually separated from the earth and left on top of the ground in condition to be readily gathered, and it consists in certain improvements in construction and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter fully described and the novel features pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with one of the wheels removed; Fig.l 3 a sectional view on the line :T-:z: of Fig. l. Similar reference numerals in the several gures indicate similar parts.

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1 indicates the supporting axle of the machine upon the end of which are journaled supporting wheels 2 and to the upper side of the axle is rigidly secured a frame composed of a forwardly extending portion 3; the sides of which latter are connected by the vertically and horizontallyextending part 4 rigidly secured to it.

5 indicates the tongue or pole secured to i the part 4 of the frame, by a bracket 6 and 13 for co-operating with the rack-10. kThe ends of the part 3 of the frame secured to the axle are extended slightly back ofthe center of the latter and to said ends are pivoted links 14 slightly bent as shown and passing through the outer ends of said links is a rod or bar 15 upon which the beam of the shovel or share is mounted.

16l indicates the ,opening share preferably composed of a single plate, bolted, or otherwise secured, to a cross bar 17 supported on the lower ends of standards 18, which latter are adjustably secured by bolts 19 to the'rear end of a V-shaped frame constructed of two side pieces20, extending toward the center of the machine and bolted to the draft bar 21 by a bolt 22, as shown in Fig. 3. This draft bar rests upon plate -23 and is secured to it by a clip 24 and upon its lower side the plate 23Ais provided with bearings .through which pass the rod 15 supported on the links 14. The forward endof the draft bar rests beneath the part 3 of the frame secured to the axle and its forward end is provided with a series of holes 25 with which the clevis attached to the -whifIie-tree engages. The rod 15 is connected by a ch-ain 26 with the lever 12, which normally supports the share and beam when the machine is to be transported, and said lever serves as a means for adjusting vthe depth to which the share enters the ground. A

Pivoted to the rear and slightly below the cross bar 17 are two shafts 27 and 28 provided with outwardly and vupwardly curved arms connected by pitmen 29 with wrist pins 30 on wheels 3l mounted in bearings on the upperv side of the share frame 20.

Connected with the wheels 31 are sprocket wheels 32 over which pass chains 33 engaging the teeth of large sprocket wheels 34 secured to the supporting wheels 2 of the machine.

Theshafts 27l and 28 are provided on their rear sides with fingers 35 projecting backward Iand slightly above the level of the share 16 and loosely connected to their outer endsl are trailing wires or rods 36 and between said fingers, are located corresponding fingers 37 rigidly secured to thebar 17 or the shovel16, said last mentioned lingers being arranged between the movable fingers on the shaft and also provided with corresponding trailing rods or wires 38.

The rod 15 on which the plate 23 ispivoted,

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the share so far laterally that the chains 33 v would be liable to run off the sprocket wheels. As the weight of the shovel frame is back of the rod 15 on which it is pivoted, the forward end of the draft bar will be held against the` under side of the frame 3 and the weight of' the tongue will be sufficient to counterbalance the share and attached parts, so that the frame 3 will serve in a measure, as a fixed point from which the adjustments of theshare `are accomplished. When it is desired to adjust the depth to which the share operates, or

remove it entirely from the ground asin transporting the machine toand from the field,

it is only necessary to operate the hand leverl 12, the chain raising the rear of the frame,

which turns the links 14, as will be under-i stood. f

these vby passing up between the stationary fingers 37 will serve to sift the potatoes from the containing earth and pulverize the latten? which will further be accomplished by the: trailing rods 36 and the separated potatoesl prevented from being covered again by the earth.

potatoes i-s secured and even when the machine is turning, one set lis always in opera- :A

tion. Y

The inclination of the share or shovel can be readily accomplished by means of the slotv 43 provided in the lower ends of the standards 18'and the securing bolt 44, the forward bolt 46 then serving as a pivot, as shown inFig. 2,- while the vertical adjustment of said stand` ently (except so far as vertical adj ustment'is concerned) of the frame on which the sup porting wheels are mounted, the latter will not be liable to injury when in operation.

I claim as my inventionof the links pivoted lto the main and share frames, and lifting devices on themain frame for moving the share on the links, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the main frame, the supporting wheels, the links pivoted on the frame and the bar connecting them, of the share frame pivoted on said bar andlaterally adjustable thereon, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the main frame, the supporting wheels, the links pivoted thereon, the bar connecting the links, of the plate journaled on the bar, the share frame mounted thereon having the share and the draft bar having means for the direct attachment of n the -horses extending forward and loosely engaging the under side of the main frame and lifting devices forthe share frame, substantially as described.

4. The combination 'with the axle, the wheels, the main frame composed of the parts 3 and 4 arranged infront of the-axle and the tongue connected thereto, of 'the share, and share Aframe pivoted in rear of vthe axle on links connected to the main frame, the draft bar extending beneath the frame forward of the axle and having means for the direct `attachment of the `horses and llifting devices on the main framefor adjusting the share frame, substantially as described.

5. VIn a potato-diggeigthe combination with the wheels, the share or shovel, having a series of 'stationary rearwardly projecting fingers thereon, of anoscillating shaft arranged beneath 'the share havinga series of movable separating fingers projecting and movable upwardly 'between the stationary fingers on the share, and means for-oscillating said shaft,

substantially as described.

It is desi-rable to employ two series of sep-` arating fingers back of the opening share and to operate them independently as by this.V means a better separation of the` earth and 6. In apotato digger, the combination with the wheels and the share or shovel, `having the rearwardly projecting stationary fingers, of the two oscillating shafts arranged'beneath the share, each having fingers projecting in rear thereof and extending betweenthose on the sharejand connectionsbetween said shafts and thwheels for causing jtheir independent oscillation, substantially as described.

7. In a potatofdiggen'the combination with the axle, the supporting wheels having the sprocketwheels thereon, of the share frame embodying the standards cross-bar and share,

f 'the two oscillating shafts on the cross-bar having rearwardly projecting fingers, the sprocket lwheels on the shareframe having the wrist pins, the pitmen connected to the wrist pins and to the oscillating shafts and the chains connecting the sprockets on the supporting wheels with those on the share frame, sub- -stantially as described;

1. The combination with the main frame and-the supporting wheels, the share, its frame and the connected draft bar, having means for the direct attachment of the horses, loosely r engaging theunder side of the main frame,

8. The combination with the axle, the wheels, the main frame extending forward of the axle, and the tongue connected thereto,

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10. In a potato digger, the combination with theshareA having the stationary rearwardly projecting fingers provided with `loose trailing rods, of the two oscillatory shafts on the share having fingers projecting between those on the share and each provided with the trailing rods connected thereto, substantially as described.

ALFRED OLMSTED.

Y Witnesses:

W. S. HoUsEL, G. N. BOWMAN.

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